Crown and root rot is a serious disease of turfgrasses, especially highly maintained turfgrasses as found in lawns, golf courses, nursery crops, and other landscape architecture applications. Current techniques for controlling this disease are not entirely satisfactory, and there is a continuing need for new treatments thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,334 to Horriere et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,445 to Horriere et al. propose fungicidal compositions based on alkyl phosphites in combination with various contact fungicities such as Mancozeb. These compositions are useful for treating mildew in vines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,616 to Ducret et al. describes fungicidal compositions based on alkyl phosphites. None of these references relate to the treatment of turfgrasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,661 to Lucas discloses methods of enhancing turf quality of bentgrass using compositions comprising a mixture of a monoester salt of a phosphorous acid, and an ethylenebisdithiocarbamate contact fungicide.
High quality, healthy turfgrass is essential to the golfing industry. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for fungicidal compositions which enhance turf quality and protect against crown and root rot in turfgrass to provide high quality, healthy turfgrass.